Method of welding metal spokes



Aug. 1s, 1927. 1,639,109

` A. 1 PUTNAM A METHOD OF WELDING METAL SPOKES Filed Oct. 2. 21.926l

Patented Aug. 16, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE.

ALDEN L, PUTNAM, OE DEARBORN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOE, BYIIESNE ASSIGrNMIElIPIES,` .TO STEEL WHEEL CORPORATION, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

Thev present invention has to do `with ve hicle wheelso the metal spoke type, and is particularly concerned with the manufacturing processes involved in welding the separate spokes of a wheel tocrether at their inner ends, ts form the so-called spoke spider of permits the spokes to be assembled for weld-- ing with the heads in an unbroken circle and with alternate heads wedged into the spider from one side thereof and intervening heads wedged from the other.

' 'In attempting, however, to butt-weld the assembled heads together between two flat weldingvelectrodes, it has been found diiii cult, if not impossible, to force the heads into positions' flush with each other and at the same time obtain satisfactory welds therebetween, owing to the fact that when the. heads become lush, or nearly so, no spaces arelei't open for t-heweld flashes lto go, and the welding operation 'therefore cannot be continued long enough to permit the heads to be brought into positions flush with each other. As a result, the. spokes in the welded spider will be more or less sta gered, with alternate spokes in one'plane an intervening spokes in another.

This condition can beremedied'to a certain extent by grooving 4the electrodes at' points in register with the meetingI edges of the heads, but the groovesA will enlarge rapidly in service, and the electrodes when thus worn will tend to deforin the heads. Furthermore, the cost of such special electrodes is considerably more than that of ordinary lat electrodes. f

The object of theinvention is to provide an improved method of constructing and welding the spokes, whereby the spokes when welded to formthe spider will all radiate in the same plane instead of radiating some in one plane and some in another, and ordinary liat electrodes may be used in per forming the weldingv operation. l

While the foregoing' statement is indicative in a general wayvof the nature of the invention, other objects and advantages will be evident tofthose skilled in the arty upon a full understanding of the same.

A method which embodies one form of the taken on the line 5-,5 of Fig. 4'

METHOD or WELDING METAL sroxns.

Application led October 2, 1926. Serial No. 139,142.

invention is presented here for the purpose of exemplliication, but it will be appreciated that such method may be modied in various Iunessential respects .without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims. A

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. l is a face View of a.v spoke which has `been shaped in accordance with the requirements ofthe invention; n

Fig. 2 is an ed e View of the same;

Fig. 3 is an en View of the same;l

Fig. 4 is a face View of a spoke spider which has been formed up from a number of the spokes;

Fig. 5 is section .through the spider Fig. 6 is a projected circular section through the heads of the spokes when in position between the electrodes before the welding operation; and

k Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 6, showing the spokes and' electrodes upon completion of the welding operation.

The invention consists in making the tapered and bevelled heads l() of the spokes slightly oset from the spoke shanks'll,l as shown in Figs. l to 3 inclusive, instead Vof symmetrical therewith; arrangin the spokes together in the Ausual manner or welding but with the heads of alternate spokes 12 olset from their Shanks in one direction and the heads of intervening spokes 13 oiset `from their shanks in the opposite direction, as shown 'in Fig. 6;' and weldingv the assembled s okes between two electrodes 14 and 15 where y tobring the Shanks 'of the spokes into a common plane under the pressure of the electrodes without bringin theheads of the spokes into fully flush `re ation to each other. f f Y Throughout the welding operation, the heads of alternate spokes are only in contact with one electrode while the heads of intervening spokes areonly'in contact with the other electrode.

By means of the construction and procedure above described, the Shanks-l1 of the spokes will all be brought readily .into the same lmedian plane '16, as shown in Fig. 5 and, at the same time spaces will be left at the meeting edges 127 of the heads 10 to accommodate the necessary flashes from-the welds. l

After the welding operation has been comlll pleted, thethen essentially uneven faces of the spider formed by the faces of the Welded heads 10 of the spokes may be machined to eliminate the portions of the heads 10 which project beyond the desired.v faces of the spider.

I claim :v

l. The method of producing a spider from separate metal spokes, which consists in forming the spokes With the heads thereoil slightly offsetv from the shanks, assembling' .slightly ofset'from the shanks, assembling the spokes into a spider With the heads oi alternate spokes oiset in one direction and the heads of intervening spokes offset in the opposite direction, and Weldii'ig thel assembled spokes together in suoli a Way as to leavepthe Shanks inV a common plane and the heads in different planes.

3. The method of producing a spider from separate metal spokes, which consists in forming the spokes with the heads thereol slightly offset from the Shanks, assembling the spokes into a spider with the heads ot alternate spokes offset in one direction and .tho heads of. intervening spokes offset in the opposite direction, Welding' the assembled spokes together in such a Way as to leave insertos slightly offset from the Shanks and With the side edges oil the -heads oppositely bevelled,

assembling the spokes .into a spider in oppositely wedged relation to each other with the heads of alternate spokes oiiiset in one direction and the heads of intervening spokes otlset in the opposite direction, Weld ing the side edges of the heads together between two flat circular electrodes in such a Way as to leave the shanks in a common plane and the heads ,in different planes, and machining` the 'faces ot' the resulting spider to make the heads oi the spokes flush nwith each other.

The method of producing a spider from separate metal spokes, which consists in forming the spokes with the side edges ol' the heads thereotl oppositely bevelled, assembling the spokes into a spider with the bei.` elled heads in complen'ientary and wedging relation to eachother and With the faces ol adjoining heads otlset, and Welding between pressure electrodes in such a Way as to leave. the faces of adjoining heads ol'set to a less extent upon completion ot the welding op eration.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto sub-A scribed rny name. 

